John Douglas Henderson and Marilyn Berrett Henderson

John Douglas Henderson
John was born January 16, 1936 in Pocatello, Idaho. The family moved to Rexburg, Idaho, where John
attended school, graduating from Madison High School in 1954. While at Madison, he was active in
sports, music and science programs. He attended Idaho State College and the University of Idaho from
1954 to 1959, graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a commission in the U.S. Army. In
July, 1959, John married Marilyn Berrett of Roberts, Idaho, whom he met at the U of I. They spent the
next two years on active duty at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and Fort Bragg, North Carolina. While at Fort Bragg,
a son, John Robert, was born. Upon leaving active military duty in 1961, John was employed by the U.S.
Forest Service as a Supervisory Civil Engineer. During his career, he served on seven national forests
located in St. Anthony, Salmon, and Boise, Idaho, and Yreka, Quincy, Alturas, and Pasadena, California.
While living in St. Anthony, he served as executive officer and company commander of several Idaho
National Guard units. John retired from the U.S. Forest Service in Boise in October, 1990, and John and
Marilyn built a new home and moved to Salmon, where he served a term on the city council.
John always had the time to talk with and encourage the youth in our families, the young people he
worked with, and the students of friends, to consider engineering as a career. Many took his advice and
in our families many young members chose to study and become engineers. Now we choose to honor
his memory by helping others with their college expenses.

Marilyn Berrett Henderson
Marilyn was born July 20, 1937, at Roberts, Idaho, to Reed L. and Mary Whitworth Berrett. Marilyn
spent many happy years in elementary and high school at Roberts. Her dad, Reed, was the high school
coach, life revolved around sports. She graduated from Roberts High School in 1955 and from the
University of Idaho in 1959 with a B.A. in Secondary Education. She continued her education at Boise
State University, studying Art and Literature. On July, 11, 1959, she married John Douglas Henderson at
Roberts in the Community Church. They had a son, John Robert, born at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on
May 20, 1960. Marilyn taught Art and English at Salmon High School, English at North Junior High School
in Boise, and Home Schooling in Pasadena, California. She was the Executive Director of the Salmon Arts
Council in 1990 and 1991, and was the Steele-Reese Scholarship Coordinator of Lemhi and Custer
Counties from 1991 until 2005. Marilyn’s hobbies are painting, gardening, and playing bridge. She was
represented in many art shows in oil paintings and watercolors, including the Idaho Water Color Society
Juried Show. In addition to this scholarship endowment, Marilyn and her husband John have endowed
Idaho State University with two additional memorial scholarships in memory of Marilyn’s father, (the
Reed L. Berrett Citizenship Scholarship), and John’s uncle, Albert B. Strahan.